On-trade

Open pubs eligible for €26 million Covid-19 Fund 

Pubs currently open serving food will be able to benefit from the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht Catherine Martin TD’s launching of a new €26 million Covid-19 Adaptation Fund to help tourism and hospitality businesses offset some of the costs incurred in adapting their premises or operations for re-opening.

 

The Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, Catherine Martin TD.,pictured with Crebhan Hughes at the Doolin Inn, Co Clare, in light of the announcement.

The Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, Catherine Martin TD with Crebhan Hughes at the Doolin Inn, Co Clare, in light of the announcement.

Costs including those for barriers and protective screens, the development of outdoor areas, Personal Protective Equipment and sanitiser will be covered. The Fund is being administered by Fáilte Ireland and applications are now open until October 8th.

The Fund has been designed to help support tourism businesses through grants of between €500 and €15,000, to make either the structural adaptations required for fixed, visitor-facing premises or to cover the cost of Covid-19-related consumables (such as sanitiser or PPE) for those businesses which provide a visitor experience but do not have significant visitor-facing premises.

Minister Martin secured the funding as part of the Government’s July Jobs Stimulus Package.
The National Tourism Development Authority estimates that there are approximately 12,000 businesses that will be eligible to apply for funding making it the largest-ever fund in terms of the number of businesses ever administered by Fáilte Ireland.

In-line with the Government’s Roadmap for the Re-opening of Business and Society, Fáilte Ireland has taken a three-step approach to supporting tourism and hospitality businesses to re-open safely in developing sector specific operational guidelines for re-opening to help businesses meet the Government’s public health advice and keep their employees and customers safe.

Fáilte Ireland then developed the Covid-19 Safety Charter as a Government-backed initiative to reassure consumers that the tourism and hospitality businesses that they visit have committed to adhere to the correct safety measures and hygiene protocols set out in Fáilte Ireland’s Guidelines for Re-opening.

The Covid-19 Adaptation Fund is the third step in Fáilte Ireland’s approach to re-opening to provide a financial contribution towards the costs incurred by tourism businesses as they implement Fáilte Ireland’s Guidelines for Re-opening.

Businesses must be open at the time of application in order to be eligible for this Fund in line with the Government’s Roadmap for Re-opening Society and Business.

An exception will be made where a Government-mandated closure has been ordered for businesses that were already open. These businesses will be eligible to apply for re-opening costs incurred before the mandated closure.

Businesses with Capital Costs for fixed premises used by visitors are among those eligible to apply as part of Strand A:

  • Pubs/bars with a Publican’s Licence (opening under the Government’s Roadmap for Re-opening Society and Business)
  • Restaurants or cafés with a Wine Retailer’s On-Licence or a Special Restaurant Licence.

“We’ve taken this three-step approach to give tourism and hospitality businesses the guidance and support they need to re-open and reassure their customers that it is safe to visit their businesses,” said Fáilte Ireland’s Chief Executive Paul Kelly, “The tourism industry is at the core of our economy, supporting regional development and job creation in communities across the country.

“Following an independent assessment of the potential costs of implementing Fáilte Ireland’s Guidelines for Re-opening, a sliding scale was developed to ensure a proportionate grant amount was allocated to different types of businesses.

“We estimate that 12,000 businesses will be eligible to apply making it the largest-ever fund that we’ve administered to date. Our focus is on sustaining and supporting the tourism sector through this crisis.”

Eligible businesses can apply for the Covid-19 Adaptation Fund until the 8th October 2020.

For more information visit www.failteireland.ie/covid-19-adaptation-fund.

 

 Twitter @Failte_Ireland and LinkedIn 


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